WHEN A BRIDE AND GROOM take their wedding vows, the couple pledge to be together "till death do us part." However, in close to half of all marriages in contemporary America this does not prove to be the case. Marriages end through divorce for many reasons. People change over time and may simply grow apart. Perhaps one or both members of a married couple fall in love with someone new. One spouse's career or personal goals might interfere with the relationship to the point of ending it. In extreme situations, verbal, physical, and/or sexual abuse leads one partner to end the marriage.

For the most part, the specific developments that might lead to divorce are difficult to predict when a couple get married. However, sociologists have identified several risk factors. Marriages begun before...